1. Improved affiliate reporting and attribution.
A lot of the affiliate programs nowadays are utilizing the last-click attribution. It works like that, the affiliate that has generated the last click before the sale is finished receives 100% credit for it. As the affiliate platforms develop, things are getting different; you are now given the ability to pick different attribution models. Now, you can have a cross-channel, full-funnel view of how different peoples’ marketing strategies are working together.
For instance, there might be three affiliates that generated clicks. When seeing who and how generated the clicks you will be able to set up the affiliate commissions to go to the first, second, or third affiliate. For example affiliate 3 might have generated the last click but you want the commission to be received by affiliate 1.
2. Influencer niches are becoming hyper-targeted.
Before, catch-all coupons and media sites were the main source of traffic for numerous advertisers. Nowadays, the situation is quite different. Customers are often searching for something particular that will fit their requirements perfectly. Here is when influencers come in handy. They aren’t able to generate enormous amounts of traffic, but the one they generate are more likely to buy something as they have higher conversion rates and are more targeted.
3. GDPR is changing how personal data is collected.
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It took effect on May 25 in 2018 and is a whole set of regulations made to manage the usage of personal data over the European Union. This means that even if you aren’t in the EU, if you want to receive user data, you aren’t given much of a choice but to use an opt-in consent (updated privacy policies and cookie notices). The GDPR isn’t there to only regulate you, but also to remind you that you should be following the FTC guidelines. Another thing is that you have to clearly expose the fact that you receive commissions for what you are doing.
4. Affiliate marketers are getting smarter.
Some merchants receive a huge percentage of their revenue from affiliate marketers. This can lead into the merchant becoming reliant on the affiliates they work with. This on the other hand, may result in the affiliates utilizing their importance in order to receive higher commissions. It doesn’t matter whether the commission structure is CPL, CPC, or CPA, out there, you can find some really well-paid affiliate programs in which the affiliate has a lot of freedom.